Ottoman Empire Yoghurt Soup

Recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence
May 11, 2016
2 min read

As history tells us, the Ottomans lived gloriously.

And they ate gloriously.

The Ottoman kitchen was truly a secret treasure, full of recipes the chefs experimented with and cooked up for 600 years. The chefs were brought in from different parts of the empire to create and experiment with different ingredients and each cook was hired for a specialty. All the dishes made for the sultan were first tested by the imperial food taster, not only to ensure that the taste was superb but also to check for poison!

The tradition required that the kitchen staff kept their recipes and cooking methods as secret, therefore none of their valuable information were printed, documented and passed down to generations.

Ottoman Empire Yoghurt Soup

Ingredients 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 quart chicken stock 1 cup barley 1 tablespoon kosher salt 3 cups plain yogurt 2 large egg yolks 1 small handful fresh mint leaves, chopped 1 teaspoon paprika (or traditional Kirmizi biber or Aleppo pepper if available)

Directions Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat in a Dutch oven or other large, heavy pot. Just as the foam subsides, add the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk to prevent lumps. Pour in the chicken stock and continue to stir well. Bring the mixture to a simmer, and then add the barley and the salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low flame, cover, and cook for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until the barley is tender. In a large mixing bowl, blend together the yogurt and egg yolks until smooth. After the barley has softened, lower the heat and gradually whisk the yogurt mixture into the barley and cook just until it is ready to boil. For the finishing touch, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a saute pan. When the butter is foamy, mix in the mint and paprika. Let this turn golden and stir it into the soup. Serve the soup piping hot. Recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence